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Agro chems – Pesticides, Agro Universities, R&D

Biological pesticide controls red spider mites that attack tea bushes and cause heavy crop loss annually.

 

 Government of India patented new biological pesticide developed by a team of researchers from Gauhati University .The team of researchers which includes Novonita Baruah, Alak Chandra Deka, Mohan Chandra Kalita and Jogen Chandra Kalita developed the biological pesticide to control red spider mites that attack tea bushes and cause heavy crop loss annually.

The new pesticide is a low-cost bio-formulation created with an indigenous fungal bio-agent.

In the Northeast, tea plants are colonized by a large variety of pest species, including the tea mosquito bug, the red spider mite, pink mites, the red slug caterpillar, the looper, the green leaf hopper, etc. Among these, the red spider mite (oligonychus coffeae) is one of the most destructive pests in all the tea-growing regions of the Northeast.

A large number of chemical pesticides (insecticides and acaricides) are used for controlling red spider mites. Though the use of chemical pesticides results in effective control of the pests, the insects in turn develop resistance to the chemicals when the pesticides are used excessively. The chemicals also affect non-target species and leave undesirable residues in made tea.

These pesticides are hazardous for humans, animals and wildlife alike. Hence, the new biological pesticide is expected to emerge as a new effective measure in the area of pest control in the tea industry.

 

 

Biological pesticide controls red spider mites that

Agrotech

FNV has become a highly reputable and rapidly growing distributor of crop protection

Headquartered in China, ADAMA Ltd., a global leader in crop protection hs announced that it has acquired a majority stake in its key crop protection distributor in Paraguay, FNV S.A., strengthening the Company’s commercial presence in the large Latin-America market.

Founded in 2015, FNV has become a highly reputable and rapidly growing distributor of crop protection, fertilizers, seeds and bio-stimulants in Paraguay, the world’s 6th largest producer and 4th largest exporter of soy. FNV’s strong and loyal customer base among large, industrial farmers will provide ADAMA with direct market access, ensuring the sustainability and growth of ADAMA’s key distribution platform.

FNV already serves as the Company’s key distributor in the country for some of its flagship products including CRONNOS, the triple-action fungicide for Asian soybean rust, as well as ADAMA’s recently launched self-produced Prothioconazole-based mixture ARMERO. The acquisition will allow the Company to introduce its vast product portfolio in the country, and capture the full end-to-end value chain, from manufacturing to the end customers.

FNV has become a highly reputable and

Acts & Schemes – Centre, India, Trade, Webinar

To showcase products, services and technology available in agriculture and related sectors

After virtually inaugurating ‘India – International Food & Agri Week’, Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Food Processing Industries, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj said that Indian food processing sector is 32 per cent of India’s food market. Tomar said that the focus of this agro and food tech is the use of technology in the field of food and agriculture sector to increase the income of farmers. The event will be held from October 16 to 22, 2020.

Explaining the initiatives of Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MOFPI), he shared that under Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, the ministry has started PM Formalisation of Micro food Enterprises (PMFME) scheme with an outlay of Rs 20,000 crores.

This scheme will support 2 lakh micro food processing units with credit linked subsidy and would focus on supporting the SHGs, FPOs and cottage industry. Government is moving towards branding of food products and creation of a Market Development board.

The minister added that it is an appropriate platform to showcase the products, services and technology available in the agriculture and related sectors.

 

To showcase products, services and technology

Agro chems – Pesticides, North America, R&D

Fire blight pathogen in Pears to be tackled with DNA markers

The United States’ pear production is mainly susceptible to storm damage, climate change, and disease, particularly fire blight. These conditions caused pear producers in Washington State to lose nearly 70,000 tons of their crop last year alone. According to Nahla Bassil, plant geneticist, and Joseph Postman, pear curator, at the Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) National Clonal Germplasm Repository (NCGR) in Corvallis, Oregon, developing superior new rootstocks is the number one research priority of the US pear industry.

Their research team includes Jason Zurn, a postdoctoral researcher and Barbara Gilmore, crop manager. Bassil’s research focuses on developing DNA markers that enable diagnosing host-plant resistance to the fire blight pathogen in breeding material, resulting in new cultivars that are resistant to the most devastating disease of pears worldwide.

“The USDA world pear collection in Corvallis contains many species and varieties that are potentially better rootstocks or have unique genetic characteristics that are not found in commonly grown varieties,” Bassil said. “Genetic solutions for production problems are economical and efficient in the long run, but there are challenges to identifying new genetic materials with the needed traits.”



Fire blight pathogen in Pears to be

Agrotech, E-commerce

ClearBlade deployed its Smart Agriculture Solution across the farm for rich telemetrics

ClearBlade, the industry-leading IoT Edge application software company based out in Texas, and Trilogy Networks a groundbreaking rural Edge networking company has announced the delivery of Phase 1 of the Farm of the Future deployment with the Rural Cloud Initiative. Together the companies have partnered to provide an out of the box Smart Agriculture Monitoring solution that is rapidly deployable into farms for immediate remote visibility.

On October 1, 2020, under Trilogy’s leadership, seven partner companies officially delivered phase 1 the farm of the future including a fully deployed private LTE network, edge as a service, and real-time IoT asset monitoring. This success represents great news for rural industries needing to leverage powerful advanced technologies to optimize their business. As part of this delivery, ClearBlade deployed its Smart Agriculture Solution across the farm for rich telemetrics.

This powerful solution is available as a rapidly deployed and easily customized ClearBlade bundle offering that includes sensors, edge gateway, and packaged software. Farms are able to immediately see the conditions impacting their farm and are able to buy these capabilities in an affordable low-cost monthly subscription. The data is displayed via a clear web-based display and customizable via a simple no-code interface designed for the operational farmer.

While it is still early in the deployment the expectation on the results is high. With remote visibility of conditions and automated control of equipment, this automation and visibility across the state of the farm are expected to produce a 10% improvement in yields.

ClearBlade deployed its Smart Agriculture Solution across

Agro Universities, Foodgrains, Poultry

Biofortified maize supplies higher levels of Tryptophan and Lysine

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR) has recommended the use of Ladhowal biofortified varieties of maize to serve as an excellent source of balanced feed to poultry and piggery industry. It, also,  helps in attaining higher body weight gain and less feed requirement for the livestock.

Biofortified varieties of maize have considerably higher amounts of Lysine (3.03%) and Tryptophan (0.73%), in comparison with popular hybrids already cultivated which have 1.5-2.0%  Lysine and 0.3%-0.4% Tryptophan content.

 

Biofortified maize supplies higher levels of Tryptophan

AgroPolicy, Trade

India exports tomato, onion and okra to Bhutan

Recently, a significant achievement has been registered in bilateral trade relations between India & Bhutan according a press release. Close coordination between the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, the Bhutan Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority (BAFRA), Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Royal Government of Bhutan and Embassy of India in Bhutan has resulted in notification, opening market access for Apple, Potato, Mandarin, Ginger and Arecanut from Bhutan to India and Tomato, Onion and Okra from India to Bhutan.

India exports tomato, onion and okra to

Acquaculture, North America, R&D

To reduce the need for traditionally used fishmeals

Scientists of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USA and their collaborators have discovered that fish such as Yellow perch love the fish pellets made with a protein concentrate derived from alfalfa’s protein-rich leaves. They’re experimenting with alfalfa as part of a broader effort to find suitable alternatives to using fishmeal, a protein-rich ingredient in aquaculture feeds given to ‘farm-raised’ finfish and shellfish.

 Aquaculture is the fastest-growing sector of the food industry worldwide, generating $1.37 billion in sales, in the United States alone. However, there’s concern that increasing consumer demand for aquaculture products will outpace what the ocean’s wild-caught stock of sardine, anchovy, menhaden and other small forage fish can supply as a fishmeal resource for aquafeeds.

According to Deborah Samac, who leads the ARS Plant Science Research Unit in St Paul, Minnesota, “Formulating aquafeeds with plant-based proteins could help lessen the need for fishmeal in aquafeeds, reducing aquaculture’s impact on aquatic natural resources. Using nutritious, affordable alternatives to fishmeal could also ease the burden on pelagic fish populations, which are important members of the marine ecosystem and its inhabitants, particularly larger predatory species”.

To reduce the need for traditionally used

E-commerce, Logistics

The first ever block train product to Georgia caters for local import needs and offers significant transit time benefits compared to ocean shipping. 

Maersk’s intercontinental rail product portfolio expands, with the recent introduction of a block train solution connecting China and Georgia, the first such product developed specifically for the needs of Georgian imports. On 4th October 2020, the first train from Xi’an (Shaanxi province), China arrived in Tbilisi, inaugurating the new rail connection, which compliments Maersk’s current coverage of the Caucasian republics (Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia), based on Ocean shipping products.

 

“We are extremely happy to manage the first ever block train shipment under a product based entirely on intercontinental rail. We arranged this special service specifically for Georgian customers, and we plan to develop block train solutions for the whole Caucasus Region”, comments Irakli Danelia, Georgia Commercial Representative at A.P. Moller – Maersk.

In addition to providing yet another connection between Asia and Europe, further expansion of the product will also strengthen Georgia’s role in the New Silk Road development. Xi’an has traditionally been the starting point of the Silk Road, the land routes connecting East and West for over thousand years.

 

“We look forward to seeing the first block train shipment under Maersk’s intercontinental rail (ICR) product help Georgia and this corridor in becoming a connecting bridge between Europe and Asia”, adds Irakli Danelia. 

“Block train is a very important part in Maersk’s intercontinental rail service portfolio. We have made huge progress during the past years and the service has been extended to 18 corridors in 9 countries. We are seeing increasing demand for this cost-efficient, environmentally friendly mode of transportation, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, with which we help our customers optimise their supply chains with resilient logistics solutions”, shares Nora Lin, Head of Logistics Products, Greater China at Maersk. 

The first China-Georgia block train left Xi’an on September 10th, 2020 and arrived in Tbilisi on October 4th with 41 containers on board.

The first ever block train product to

Agrotech

World Food Prize recognizes Rattan Lal for his innovative soil-saving techniques 

Rattan Lal was awarded the 2020 World Food Prize in a virtual award ceremony. The annual Laureate Award Ceremony rivals that of the Nobel Prize, often drawing over 800 people from more than 50 countries and is traditionally held in the Iowa State Capitol building. This year, due to the global pandemic, this event and the rest of the annual World Food Prize Week is being conducted virtually. 

The 2020 World Food Prize was formally awarded to Rattan Lal of India and the United States during a ceremony which took place during the 2020 Borlaug Dialogue International Symposium. This year, the theme is, “Breaking New Ground: Building Resilience Today for Improved Global Food Systems Tomorrow.”

 

“The 2020 World Food Prize award to me is recognition of the importance of protecting and restoring health of the finite and fragile soil resources through sequestration of soil organic carbon by adoption of conservation-effective measures,” says Lal. 

Over his career spanning more than five decades and four continents, Lal has promoted innovative soil-saving techniques benefiting the livelihoods of more than 500 million smallholder farmers, improving the food and nutritional security of more than two billion people and saving hundreds of millions of hectares of natural tropical ecosystems.

 

Lal was announced as the recipient of the Prize on June 11, 2020. He was awarded the Prize for developing and mainstreaming a soil-centric approach to increasing food production that conserves natural resources and mitigates climate change.

World Food Prize recognizes Rattan Lal for

AgroPolicy, Webinar

Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of State for Agriculture in his special address appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture for organising the ‘4th Indian Agricultural Outlook Forum 2020’ at this crucial time

Two-day ‘4th India Agricultural Outlook Forum 2020’ webinar has started in Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi. Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of State for Agriculture in his special address appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture for organising the ‘4th Indian Agricultural Outlook Forum 2020’ at this crucial time. He mentioned how the agriculture sector has emerged as the star performer in India’s pandemic-hit economy. He also congratulated every farmer, every stakeholder and the central and state Governments for their appreciable commitment to the agriculture sector which recorded a 3.4 per cent growth during the first quarter of 2020-21. He expressed confidence that the Forum’s deliberations would bring out more clarity on global developmental issues and the objective of transforming agriculture into farmers’ welfare and prosperity while maintaining quality of natural resources.

Lauding the efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare during these challenging times, Sanjay Agarwal, Secretary (DAC&FW) briefed about the key agricultural reforms initiated during the last few months. He talked about the seriousness of the government for transforming farmers into entrepreneurs. Discussing the outlook for 2020, he maintained a great outlook for agriculture sector for the current agricultural year with record sowing level and focus on pulses and oilseeds. 

The main topics for discussion during the forum are: current national and international agricultural economic situation dictated by the pandemic and the way in which India and the world struggled to keep their economies going by minimising the adverse impacts; game-changer farm sector initiatives; converging Indian agriculture with global commitments on sustainable and inclusive farm growth; decoding agri-tech potential; exploring new channels for rationalising cost structure of Govt procurement agencies; and capacity building for employment opportunities.

The forum is being virtually attended by the officials from centre and state governments, national and international agriculture research institutes; Chief Economist USDA;  delegation from foreign embassies; International organisations like FAO, EU and OECD; scientists from ICAR, representatives from agro-industries, business and farmers associations.

Source: PIB

Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of State for

Agrotech, Finance, World

Lack of laborers, increased need for improved yield, and disruption in farm operations have increased the demand for smart agriculture.

As per the report by Allied Market Research (AMR), the global smart agriculture industry was pegged at $16.74 billion in 2019, and is projected to reach $29.23 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 9.7% from 2021 to 2027.

 

Sustainably increase in agricultural productivity, climate change, and ease of crop monitoring and harvesting have boosted the growth of the global market. However, lack of skilled workforce to operate smart agriculture technologies and high investment costs to deploy expensive systems hamper the market. On the contrary, surge in adoption of vertical farming and rise in public-private partnerships are expected to create lucrative opportunities for the market players in the coming years.

 

Increase in the demand due to Covid 19

Lack of laborers, increased need for improved yield, and disruption in farm operations due to regulations regarding social distancing have increased the demand for smart agriculture.

 The COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged digitization of farms and integrating internet of things (IoT) in farm activities to maintain the health of crops and monitor livestock without involving labors. 

By type, the precision farming segment held the largest share in 2019, accounting for more than two-fifths of the global smart agriculture market, due to increasing revolution of technology in the field of precision farming and benefits of precision farming from service and product perspective. However, the greenhouse segment is expected to manifest the highest CAGR of 12.4% during the forecast period, owing to benefits of smart greenhouse such as maintaining a micro-climate environment for cops, minimizing manual intervention, and optimizing the yielding process. 

By component, the service segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of 11.1% during the forecast period, as it helps farmers in decision-making about the next steps to take with their farm operation and use data gathered by sensors for better crop production with low cost. However, the solution segment held the largest share in 2019, contributing to nearly three-fifths of the global smart agriculture market, as it helps in enhancing the yield production by doing monitoring of water quality, nutrient & mineral quality. 

By region, the market across North America is expected to manifest the highest CAGR of 12.1% during the forecast period, due to surge in population, improved lifestyle across the region, and technological advancements in crop production. However, the global smart agriculture market across Asia-Pacific held the largest share in 2019, accounting for more than one-third of the market, owing to surge in adoption of smart agriculture and rise in disposable income to invest in farming in the region.

 

Lack of laborers, increased need for improved

Dairy, Europe, R&D, Start ups

Lely Horizon replaces the current Lely T4C management system

Maassluis, Netherlands based Lely introduces a new application for dairy automation which connects data from all relevant equipment and suppliers on the farm in one management system. Called Lely Horizon, the new farm management application is a real decision-support platform, which analyses data, offers insights and gives proactive advice to make the farmer’s life easier, the herd healthier and the farm more profitable.

Freddie Ruijs, Senior Product Manager Management Systems & Data at Lely, explains, “In an ever-changing world where ‘data’ and ‘digitalization’ are key, the dairy farm cannot be left behind. At Lely we feel that it is time to use all available relevant data in an intelligent way. It connects equipment and suppliers on the farm, using smart algorithms and the power of the cloud”.

He added that the data is processed into actionable information that is always accessible on any device in a user-friendly way. The application provides farmers with the tools to work more efficiently and offers them more control, to help them achieve their goals.

The application elevates data to forecast performances and offers the farmer clear choices. For instance, it clearly indicates ketosis-suspected cows at an early stage and early treatment directly prevents losses. Horizon also provides fact-based decision support on whether to inseminate or not.

Lely Horizon replaces the current Lely T4C

Agro Universities, Webinar

Pushes for research collaborations in Indian agri ecosystem

The recently held  Vaishwik Bharatiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Summit recommended development of a strong research collaborative network within India and international labs for developing microbial technologies for Indian agriculture, as per a press release issued by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-IARI).

The Summit is a collaborative initiative by Science and Technology and Academic Organizations of India to enable deliberations on thought process, practices and R & D culture with a problem-solving approach and forge collaborations. In this pursuit, the session on ‘Microbial Resources for Sustainable Agriculture’, was conducted on October 10, 2020.

It explored the scientific and technological gaps for harnessing the microbial resources for sustainable agriculture, with regard to livestock and fisheries sector to achieve national food and nutrition security and employment. The technological options, opportunities and collaborative needs were also discussed.

The major recommendations of the session were to initiate research collaborations to develop Centers of Excellence in Microbial Resource Technologies, Microbiome initiative in Indian agri ecosystem, inclusion of microbiological indices in soil health card in tiered fashion and Skill development and capacity building for enhancing the research quotient in serving the farming community.




 

 

Pushes for research collaborations in Indian agri